UN seeks to boost fentanyl info-sharing in Asia following Nikkei report

TOKYO -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime will consider creating working groups with Southeast Asian countries, China and Japan to share information on smuggling of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, a senior official said, following a Nikkei investigation that revealed Japan's role in the global supply chain.

The comment was made by Jeremy Douglas, UNODC chief of staff to the executive director, in an interview with Nikkei, which published an investigation last month into a Chinese operation that smuggled precursors for the synthetic drug into the U.S. via Japan. Douglas is a key figure at UNODC and has led efforts to fight the drug trade in Asia for years.